


the more they stay the same

by siliquastrum



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Datekougyou | Date Tech, Gen, Koganegawa-centric, Post-Canon, Sendai Frogs, do not copy to another site, no phones were harmed in the making of this fic i promise
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-01
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-13 06:54:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,791
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29149281
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/siliquastrum/pseuds/siliquastrum
Summary: In which Koganegawa gets his new teammates phone numbers, breaks his phone, and learns about a zoology experiment - not necessarily in that order.
Comments: 7
Kudos: 28





	the more they stay the same

**Author's Note:**

  * For [crypraltar](https://archiveofourown.org/users/crypraltar/gifts).



> Happy secret not-santa/too early valentines exchange Ayaan ♡ I hope you like it even though its short!

Koganegawa doesn’t consider himself precious over his personal belongings. He’s not the most graceful of people (his mother and her much mourned china can vouch for that). However, he does think it’s a bit ironic that his phone survived five or so years without a scratch only to have its screen smashed to high hell and back on his first day back in the volleyball spotlight. He tries not to see this as an omen. 

It happened as most of these things do: by bad luck combined with poor coordination. Koganegawa was nervously checking the training schedule as he walked into the gym, just in case he read the date wrong ( _again_ , his thoughts nudged him, sounding suspiciously like Futakuchi). He was not paying attention to his surroundings. By the time someone called _'look out!_ ' it was too late, as his hand and face received the full force of a wayward serve. In the process his phone clattered to the floor, screen first. 

"You okay?" the half apology echoes across the space as Koganegawa looks at his mangled touch screen. Thin spidery cracks cover the surface, and a tiny chunk of glass has disappeared from one corner. Thankfully, it still responds to his commands. 

Two people rush over to check on him as he reassures that _no, really, it's okay, he should have been paying attention to where he was going, his head feels fine thank you, it's not the first time he's been hit in the face by a stray volleyball._

Boy, what a first impression to make! Koganegawa hopes his new teammates don’t think he’s an airhead now. Misconceptions are difficult to shake. (He will shake them if he has to.)

“Well, you’ve definitely made an entrance,” Tsukishima’s familiar snark supplies, “I didn’t think Kyoutani could dislike someone on sight, but clearly I was wrong,” 

Kyoutani, who by this point has walked over to presumably apologise, shoulder checks the taller blond. 

“Are you concussed?” he asks Koganegawa, 

“No?” Koganegawa supplies helpfully,

“Good, then we’re fine, watch where you’re going next time,” 

\--🐸--

“And why, exactly, have you kept this?” Futakuchi asks from across the table, picking up Kogane’s phone with the same disdain he’d show a sweaty sock. 

The restaurant they find themselves in is pretty quiet for a Friday evening, but it's warm and the smell of spices and cooked meat permeates the air making the small room feel almost homely. Koganegawa and Futakuchi are both early to what’s become an unspoken monthly routine among the Dateko alumni. 

“It still works,” 

“I can barely read the time on it,” 

“Do you need glasses, Futakuchi-senpai?” Kogane asks, half bantering, 

“I’m only a year older, don’t get cheeky,” Futakuchi shoots back, not missing a beat. He’s still glaring daggers at the offending item. “When did you get this?” 

“Start of my second year of high school, I think,” 

“You definitely should replace it,” 

“Why? It still works,” 

“It’s a Samsung from 2014. I bet it still has their old squiggly font-” 

“I like that font, it’s cute,”

“-and has a _ton_ of security issues. Though I have to say, Kogane, I’m impressed it survived this long. Congratulations, you broke a relic!” 

Steadily, the rest of the old volleyball team arrive one by one, chatter about how their day has been so far and pleasantries mix in with the already familiar atmosphere, and as food is brought out Koganegawa finds his cheeks ache from smiling. Stories of how September has gone by are exchanged, Kamasaki keeps stealing bites of everyone’s dishes, Moniwa chastises him a bit too loudly, the wheel of conversation keeps turning as if almost nothing has changed. 

“So what’s the new team like? _Oi, Aone give me my dumpling back!_ ” Kamasaki asks, and suddenly the spell is broken. 

Kogane avoids eye contact, finding a particular interest in the table mat, “It’s a normal team,” 

“He got hit in the head and broke his phone on day one,” Futakuchi helpfully supplies, and earns a kick under the table for his troubles,

“The more things change…” Kamasaki chuckles, “Anyone in particular causing you problems?” 

“Kamasaki, stop making it sound like you’re about to arrange an accident,” Moniwa butts in, “which we will if that’s what you need just say the word,” 

“No, everything’s fine, everything’s peachy!” Koganegawa says, as every cell in his brain screams ‘ _please change the subject!_ ’ 

“ _Peachy_ , huh?” Kamasaki repeats, 

“No, if anyone uses peachy genuinely, it’s Kogane,” Futakuchi points out, “Though I’m surprised how unenthusiastic about the whole affair you’ve been,” 

“It’s only been three days,” Koganegawa feels his voice getting more high pitched, meaning he’s definitely more anxious than he thought. 

_Why?_ Before the Phone Incident he had been so excited to start for the Sendai Frogs. He would not shut up about it, and everyone around him at the table knows just how much it means to him. So why does the thought of going to training make his hands feel cold and his heart do jumping jacks in his chest? _What changed?_

“I don’t think Kyoutani likes me very much. Or Tsukishima for that matter, though he’s just difficult to read,” he admits, 

“Oh, that’s _it_?” the three words out of Futakuchi’s mouth make everything fifty times better and fifty times worse. 

“Not everyone’s going to like you right away,” Moniwa tries a more reassuring approach, “They’ll warm up to you over time. After all you won all of us over, even the grouchy ones,” 

“ _I’m not grouchy!_ ” 

“Shut up, Futakuchi.” 

\--🐸--

_“I have a question,”_

_“Yes, Aone?”_

_“What does the emoji I just sent you look like on your phone?”_

_**1 Message to “IRN WALL”: Aone: 💛** _

_“A hairy heart?”_

_“What the hell?! This is why you need a new phone, Kogane”_

_“You’ve already said that, Futakuchi.”_

\--🐸--

Winning his new teammates over sounds easier said than done. Every time he tries to strike up a conversation with Kyoutani, all he gets is prickly responses. He over thinks every word out of Tsukishima’s mouth. They both offer up comments during practice that would normally slide like water off a duck’s back but only serve to make Koganegawa more worked up and anxious. At some point, the captain pulls him aside, and Koganegawa’s overthinking hits levels he didn’t think were possible. 

“I’m sorry if I’ve not been achieving your expectations,” he says as soon as they’re off the hardwood, 

“I wanted to say quite the opposite, actually,” Nakano says, “Don’t push yourself so much, it takes time to adjust to a new team, you’re still learning everyone’s quirks and idiosyncrasies,” 

“I can learn fast,” 

“It’s fine, Koganegawa. Everyone else needs to adjust to the change too, but they’ve got each other for reassurance, while you’re still finding your way to steady ground. Once you do, those expectations you think you aren’t meeting will be a thing of the past,” 

“Thank you,” 

That evening, Koganegawa stays behind, sits, and memorises the space. The empty gymnasium is echo-y even in silence, there’s dust motes floating through the sun beams that filter through the windows, and scuff marks outside the pen where someone once was too pushy with a ball caddy. In this condition- absent of human presence beyond his own- the space is not any different to what he’s used to. He lets that thought comfort him, turning it into a touch stone in the unfamiliarity. Then, he takes a deep breath and texts Tsukishima to grab lunch together tomorrow. One step at a time. 

Slowly, but steadily Koganegawa becomes less jittery. He’s still butting heads with the smaller, more brash of the two blonds, but he finds a strange friendship forming between himself and Tsukishima. Currently the pair is sitting in a park, blessed by a clear and crisp autumn day. They’ve bought bubble tea from the newly opened place down the road from their practice gym, so Koganegawa decides to detail their findings to the rest of the frogs. 

“You didn’t replace it?” Tsukishima asks as soon as he spots Koganegawa’s phone,

“It’s too much of a hassle,” Koganegawa explains, “I’d need a new SIM card cause newer phones use microSIM and my card’s too old for that, and I’d need to transfer all my contacts over manually, and-” 

“And you’re attached to it, for some reason,” Tsukishima’s always been good at reading people, 

“You could say that,” Kogane sighs, “Everything else is new and changing so quickly, I want some things to stay the same for now,” 

“There was a study I had to write about in one of my classes where a scientist gave this group of monkeys two dolls. One was made of wire and contained a milk bottle, and one was made of cotton, so it was soft to hold. When the monkey’s were hungry they’d go to the metal one, and when they were stressed they’d go to the cotton one,” Tsukishima explains,

“Where are you going with this?” 

“Well over time, no matter what kind of stress the monkeys were under they’d go to the cotton doll. They found it comforting or something, even though the wire one contained food which is necessary for survival and would probably help them grow,” he continues, “The phone is your cotton doll,” 

Koganegawa blinks several times, confused. 

“It’s something you’ve had from before,” Tsukishima sighs, “an old item that you find comforting. Like kids with teddy bears,” 

“Why didn’t you just say ‘ _kids with teddy bears_ ’ to begin with? Why’d you have to bring up the monkeys?” 

“I thought the monkeys sounded cooler,” 

“Wow, Tsukki, you’re a huge nerd,” 

“Shut it,” 

Koganegawa opens the internet browser on his phone and pulls up Vodafone’s website. 

\--🐸--

The wheel scrape on the hardwood becomes a point of reference every time Koganegawa slips into overthinking habits. It reminds him to breathe. This gym isn’t different to what he’s used to. This team isn’t different to what he already knows. The blockers on the other side of the net aren’t different either. When the ball falls to his fingertips, he goes through the motions, as he would any other day, for any other hitters. On his left, Kyoutani glances the ball off the block, with a rare smile on his face, and Koganegawa counts that as a small victory. It’s new. It’s a change, and he welcomes it. 

After the final whistle blows, and handshakes are exchanged, Koganegawa approaches his teammate. 

“You’re the only one who’s number I don’t have saved on my phone,” he tells Kyoutani, before handing him his new phone (complete with screen protector and shock absorbent case), “Could you write it down for me?” 

“Sure,” Kyoutani replies, “but text me so I can save yours too. I keep all my friends’ numbers saved.” 

“Of course.” 

**Author's Note:**

> A few notes: 
> 
> 1\. I haven't finished the manga yet so I'm a bit uncertain on the timeline of things, hence the vague timeframe. 
> 
> 2\. Yes, on older versions of android, the yellow heart emoji [looked like this.](https://emojipedia.org/google/android-4.4/yellow-heart/)
> 
> 3\. Tsukishima probably studies Zoology and he's a nerd. Please bully him.


End file.
